Alter Ego X4 Delay. Manual Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 1

Transcription

1 Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 1

2 Table of contents Important safety instructions 3 Caution 4 Service 4 Warning 4 EMC / EMI 4 Explanation of graphic symbols 5 Before you begin 6 About this manual 7 Getting support 7 About this pedal 8 Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo 9 True Bypass 9 TonePrint 10 What are TonePrints? 11 Transferring TonePrints to your pedal using the TonePrint app 11 Editing TonePrints with TonePrint Editor 12 Setup 13 Ready 14 Set 14 Play! 14 Inputs, outputs and controls 15 Power / Switching the effect on and off 18 Audio in and out 18 Expression pedal input 18 USB port 19 MIDI IN / MIDI THRU jacks 20 Effect controls 21 Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo delay types 23 Using the Looper 24 Using the delay in Looper mode 25 Recording a loop 25 Playing a loop continuously 26 Stopping loop playback immediately 26 Playing a loop once 26 Stopping loop playback at the end of the loop 27 Undoing a loop recording 27 Erasing a loop completely 27 Loops cannot be stored 28 Maintenance 29 Updating the firmware 30 Switching the pedal from true bypass to buffered bypass mode 30 Kill-dry on/off 31 Frequently asked questions 32 Frequently asked questions about TonePrint pedals 33 Links 34 TonePrint resources 35 Support resources 35 TC Electronic on 35 Technical specifications 36 Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 2

3 Important safety instructions Important safety instructions Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 3

4 Important safety instructions 1. Read these instructions. 2. Keep these instructions. 3. Heed all warnings. 4. Follow all instructions. 5. Do not use this apparatus near water. 6. Clean only with a dry cloth. 7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer s instructions. 8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat. 9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding-type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong is provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet. 10. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched, particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus. 11. Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer. 12. Use only with a cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over. 13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time. 14. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped. Caution You are cautioned that any change or modifications not expressly approved in this manual could void your authority to operate this equipment. Service All service must be performed by qualified personnel. Warning To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture and objects filled with liquids, such as vases, should not be placed on this apparatus. Do not install this device in a confined space. EMC / EMI Electromagnetic compatibility / Electromagnetic interference This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in residential installations. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio / TV technician for help. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 4

5 Important safety instructions For customers in Canada This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003. Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada. Explanation of graphic symbols The lightning bolt triangle is used to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated dangerous voltages within the unit s chassis that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to humans. The exclamation point triangle is used to alert the user to presence of important operating and service instructions in the literature accompanying the product. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 5

6 Before you begin Before you begin Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 6

7 Before you begin About this manual This manual will help you learn understanding and operating your TC product. To get the most from this manual, please read it from start to finish, or you may miss important information. This manual is only available as a PDF download from the TC Electronic website. Getting support If you still have questions about the product after reading this manual, please get in touch with TC Support: tcelectronic.com/support/ Enjoy your TC product! Of course, you can print this manual, but we encourage you to use the PDF version, which has both internal and external hyperlinks. For example, clicking the logo in the upper left corner of each page will take you back to the table of contents. To download the most current version of this manual, visit tcelectronic.com/support/manuals/ Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 7

8 About this pedal About this pedal Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 8

9 About this pedal Thank you for spending your hard-earned money on this TC Electronic product! We have done our best to ensure that it will serve you for many years to come, and we hope that you will enjoy using it. Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo A synergy between two hit products, Flashback X4 Delay and the original Alter Ego Delay, Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo combines innovative features with twelve absolutely spot-on tributes to the most heralded delay units of yesteryear. Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo is a culmination of a pure love for superior vintage tape, analog and digital delay sounds. Main Features Twelve exclusive, gorgeous delay sounds Spot-on tributes to time-honored classic and vintage delay units A true celebration of the best of the best in tape, analog and digital delays TonePrint-enabled for a world of signature and customizable effects True Bypass Here at TC, we have a simple philosophy: When you are using one of our products, you should hear something great and if you don t, you shouldn t hear it at all. This is why this pedal sports True Bypass. When it is bypassed, it is really off and has zero influence on your tone, resulting in optimum clarity and zero loss of highend. You will also be delighted to hear (literally) that this TC Electronic effect pedal will let your dry, unprocessed sound pass without ever converting it to digital keeping your original tone pure and without any latency. This feature is called analog dry-through. Sometimes, it is advisable to switch an effect pedal from True Bypass to Buffered Bypass mode. For more information, see Switching the pedal from true bypass to buffered bypass mode. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 9

10 TonePrint TonePrint Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 10

11 TonePrint This TC Electronic product supports TonePrints. To learn more about TonePrints, go to tcelectronic.com/toneprint/ What are TonePrints? When you look at your TC Electronic effect pedal, you ll only see a few knobs. Actually, for some pedals, it s just one knob. So one knob, one function, right? Actually, there s a lot more to it than meets the eye. Star-tweaked signature sounds When TC Electronic builds an effect pedal, the relationship between its controls and many parameters under the hood are defined by developers, musicians and product specialists who live and breathe sound. This gives you an excellent starting point: a great-sounding pedal with well-balanced controls. But wouldn t it be cool to have world-famous guitar players guys like Paul Gilbert, Guthrie Govan, John Petrucci or Steve Vai virtually rewire your reverb pedal, defining what should happen behind the scenes? And how about doing this yourself? This is exactly what TonePrint allows you to do. TC Electronic is working with top guitar players who explore a pedal s hidden tonal potential, redefining the controls and creating their personal TonePrints. And we are making these custom TonePrints available to you. Uploading them to your pedal is really easy (see Transferring Tone- Prints to your pedal using the TonePrint app ) and with the amazing TonePrint Editor, you can even create your own signature pedal, tweaked specifically to your liking. You can change the TonePrint in your pedal as often as you like, and the best part: It s totally free. Transferring TonePrints to your pedal using the TonePrint app Being able to virtually rewire your TC Electronic effect pedal wouldn t be much use if you needed a lot of extra equipment to do it. This is why we created the TonePrint app. The TonePrint app is free software for popular smartphones that allows you to beam new TonePrints right into your effect pedal whenever and wherever you feel like it. Obtaining the TonePrint app If you own an iphone, you can download the TonePrint app from Apple s App Store. If you own an Android phone, you will find the TonePrint app on Google Play. Once you have the app, no additional downloads or in-app purchases are required. You can access all available TonePrints from within the app, and all TonePrints are free. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 11

12 TonePrint Transferring TonePrints to your pedal step by step Launch the TonePrint app on your smartphone. Find the TonePrint you want to use. You can browse TonePrints by Artist or Product (i.e., pedal type). You will also find Featured Tone- Prints. Plug your guitar or bass into your TonePrint pedal. Turn your TonePrint pedal on. Turn up the volume on your instrument and set the pickup selector to one pickup. Hold the speaker of your smartphone next to the chosen pickup and touch Beam to pedal. Editing TonePrints with TonePrint Editor The TonePrint app allows you to use TonePrints created by your favorite guitar and bass players. But this is only the start. Using TC s TonePrint Editor, you can create your very own signature pedal sounds. TonePrint Editor features Use TonePrint Editor to build your own custom sounds. Enjoy complete control over all effect parameters and effect behavior it s your vision, your sound. Customize knob function and knob range to suit your needs and sounds. Audition your sonic creations in real-time live make changes on the fly and listen to results immediately. Works with both PC and Mac. Last but not least TonePrint Editor is absolutely free! Obtaining TonePrint Editor If you want to use TonePrint Editor for your Windows or OS X computer, download it from tcelectronic.com/toneprint-editor/ If you want to use TonePrint Editor on your Apple ipad, download it from Apple s App Store. Please note that version 2.0 or higher of the TonePrint Editor is required for working with TC Electronic Mini pedals. Version 2.0 has a Library function that allows you to access and use Tone- Prints even without an Internet connection. Obtaining the TonePrint Editor manual Download the TonePrint Editor manual from tcelectronic.com/toneprint-editor/support/ If you open the manual for TonePrint Editor in Adobe Reader, you can click on interface sections to jump directly to the sections of the manual you are interested in. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 12

13 Setup Setup Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 13

14 Setup Ready Set Play! Your TC Electronic effect pedal box should contain the following items: Your TC Electronic effect pedal 2 rubber feet for non-velcro pedalboard mounting 1 TC Electronic sticker 1 leaflet about TC s guitar FX product range Inspect all items for signs of transit damage. In the unlikely event of transit damage, inform the carrier and supplier. If damage has occurred, keep all packaging, as it can be used as evidence of excessive handling force. Connect a 9 V power supply with the following symbol to the DC input socket of your TC Electronic effect pedal. This product has no battery compartment. A power supply is required for operating this product. Plug the power supply into a power outlet. Connect your instrument to the in jack on the pedal using a ¼ jack cable. Connect the out jack of the pedal to your amplifier using a ¼ jack cable. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 14

15 Inputs, outputs and controls Inputs, outputs and controls Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 15

16 Inputs, outputs and controls Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo rear Click/tap on user interface elements to jump to the respective sections of the manual. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 16

17 Inputs, outputs and controls Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo top Click/tap on user interface elements to jump to the respective sections of the manual. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 17

18 Inputs, outputs and controls Power / Switching the effect on and off Power input To power up your pedal, connect a power supply to its power input socket. The power input socket of your TC Electronic effect pedal is a standard 5.5 / 2.1 mm DC plug (centre = negative). Your TC Electronic effect pedal requires a 9 V power supply providing 300 ma or more (supplied). You may also use another 9 V or 12 V power supply, as long as it provides 300 ma or more. To minimize hum, use a power supply with isolated outputs. Audio in and out Audio inputs (stereo) The audio inputs of this pedal are standard ¼ jacks (mono/ts). If your signal source is mono, connect it to the MONO in jack of the pedal. If your signal source is stereo, connect the cable carrying the left signal component to the MONO IN jack and the cable carrying the right signal component to the STEREO IN jack. Audio outputs (stereo) The audio outputs of this pedal are standard ¼ jacks (mono/ts). If the next device in the signal chain has a mono input (e.g. your amp), connect the MONO OUT jack of TC Electronic effect pedal to the other device s input. If the next device in the signal chain has stereo inputs (e.g. another stereo effect pedal), connect the MONO OUT jack of your TC Electronic effect pedal to the left input and the STEREO OUT jack to the right input of the other device. Expression pedal input The Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo allows you to connect an expression pedal (optional/not included). Once you have connected and configured an expression pedal, you can use it to control one or more of the following parameters: Delay Time Feedback Level Delay Level These parameters will be explained later in this manual. You can define which parameter(s) you want to control with an expression pedal and the parameter range to control. Choosing an expression pedal For use with the Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo, you ll want to use a 25 kohm linear pot expression pedal. Please note that a standard guitar volume pedal has a 250 kohm logarithmic pot and cannot be used as an expression pedal for the Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo. If you already own an expression pedal and you are not sure if you can use it with the Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo, please ask your local vendor or get in touch with TC Support. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 18

19 Inputs, outputs and controls Assigning delay parameters and parameter ranges to an expression pedal You can control any combination of the Delay Time, Feedback Level and Delay Level parameters with an external expression pedal. To set up parameters and parameter ranges, proceed as follows: Connect an expression pedal to the Exp Pedal jack. Switch on the Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo. Choose a preset (A, B or C). The LED of the selected preset will light up. Set the expression pedal to the maximum position. Set the knobs for the parameters you want to control to the desired maximum values. Set the expression pedal to the minimum position. Set the knobs for the parameters you want to control to the desired minimum values. Press and hold the footswitch for the preset to store these settings. Resetting parameters and parameter ranges To reset the parameters and parameter ranges assigned to a preset, proceed as follows: Connect an expression pedal to the Exp Pedal jack. Switch on the Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo. Choose the respective preset (A, B or C). Set the expression pedal to the maximum position. Press and hold the footswitch for the preset. USB port Use the standard Mini-B USB port on your TC Electronic effect pedal to connect your pedal to a computer. This will allow you to load TonePrints into the pedal or create your own TonePrint using TC s TonePrint Editor. For more information, see TonePrint. If there should be firmware updates for this pedal, they can also be installed using the USB port see Updating the firmware. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 19

20 Inputs, outputs and controls MIDI IN / MIDI THRU jacks These are standard MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) connectors. MIDI In jack Connect a computer/daw (or another device generating a MIDI Clock signal) to the MIDI IN jack to control the pedal s delay tempo. MIDI Thru jack To forward the incoming MIDI signal to another MIDI-equipped device, connect the MIDI THRU jack of the Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo to the MIDI Input of another MIDI device. An incoming MIDI Clock signal will override the settings of the pedal s own Delay Time knob. However, the Subdivision Selector switch still defines the actual note values used to generate the delays. You can also send MIDI Program Change messages from your computer (or another MIDI-capable device) to the pedal to switch between the pedal s three presets. Program Change message #001: Recall Preset A Program Change message #002: Recall Preset B Program Change message #003: Recall Preset C The Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo is receiving MI- DI messages on all MIDI channels (MIDI Omni Mode). Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 20

21 Inputs, outputs and controls Effect controls Please note that the knob assignments on your TC Electronic effect pedal are the default assignments. Using the TonePrint Editor, you can rewire all knobs so they control one or several parameters of your choice. For more information, see the TonePrint Editor manual. DELAY TIME knob Delay time control Use the DELAY knob to control the delay time. Almost all delay types have a delay range of 20 ms to 7000 ms (that s seven seconds). Slapback ( SLP ) has a range from 20 ms to 300 ms. FEEDBACK knob Feedback control Use the FEEDBACK knob to set the desired numbers of delay repeats. Turning the FEED- BACK knob to the right will give you more delay repeats. DELAY LEVEL knob Effect level control Use the DELAY LEVEL knob to control the level of the delay repeats. The direct, unprocessed signal is always passed at the original level (unity gain). Only the level of delay repeats is changed when turning the DE- LAY LEVEL knob. Delay type selector Use the Delay type selector to choose the type of delay you want to work with. The delay types are described in the section Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo delay types. Subdivision selector Use this switch to choose the note intervals that the delay repetitions are based on. Top position: quarter notes Middle position: dotted eighths Bottom position: quarter notes and dotted eighths. Looper/Delay switch Use this Looper/Delay switch to set the functionality of the footswitches A, B and C. When the switch is in the top position ( Looper ), the four switches A, B, C and Tap (Undo/Redo) control the Looper functions. For more information on the Looper, see Using the Looper. When the switch is in the bottom position ( Delay ), the three switches A, B and C can be used to access the three presets. For more information on presets, see Preset footswitches (A / B / C). Looper Level knob Use the Looper Level knob to set the playback volume of the Looper. You can still use the delay effect when using the Looper module. If you do so, use the Delay Level knob and the Looper Level knob to balance the volumes of the effect and the audio loop. Preset footswitches (A / B / C) When the Looper/Delay switch is in the bottom position ( Delay ), the three footswitches labelled A, B and C can be used to access the pedal s three presets. When the Looper/Delay switch is in the top position ( Looper ), you do not have access to presets. Instead, the current positions of the delay knobs define the delay settings. Recalling a preset Press the footswitch corresponding to the preset you want to recall (use). Only one preset can be active at a time. The LED of the active preset s footswitch will be lit. Factory presets There are three factory presets, but you can overwrite them with your own favorite settings. A This is an Eric Johnson-style tape echo with somewhere between 2 and 3 repeats. B This is a swirly and big 2290 delay with modulation on the repeats. Great for clean playing and volume swells or if you re into U2 C This is a short analog delay that will give your sound a bit more ambience. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 21

22 Inputs, outputs and controls Preset off / Bypass mode When none of the three footswitch LEDs are lit, the pedal is in bypass mode, and you will only hear the dry, unprocessed signal. If you have set the internal Kill-Dry dip switch to the On position (see Kill-dry on/off ), and none of the three footswitch LEDs are lit, no signal will be present at the output. Storing presets When you have selected a preset and you have changed parameters (e.g. the delay time), you may want to store your edited version of the preset. To store the current delay settings, press and hold the footswitch of the currently active (lit) preset slot for circa two seconds. The LEDs of the Tap footswitch and the selected preset will blink to confirm that the preset has been stored. Delay spill-over The pedal has two bypass modes: True Bypass and Buffered Bypass. Changing the bypass mode is described under Switching the pedal from true bypass to buffered bypass mode. When the pedal is set to True Bypass and you switch off the currently selected preset, the delay will immediately be switched off. When the pedal is set to Buffered Bypass and you switch off the currently selected preset, the delay will be allowed to fade/ ring out. Preset content A preset includes all settings of the delay module including the currently used TonePrint (i.e., if the Delay type selector is set to one of the four TonePrint slots). If you have attached an external expression pedal, the parameters assigned to this expression pedal are stored as part of the preset as well. TonePrints and presets When you have stored a preset that is using a TonePrint, you can upload/beam a new Tone- Print to that TonePrint slot without affecting the preset. This means that you can effectively access seven TonePrints, like this: Beam four TonePrints to the four TonePrints slots of the pedal. Switch to TonePrint slot 1, adjust delay settings and store the results as Preset A. Switch to TonePrint slot 2, adjust delay settings and store the results as Preset B. Switch to TonePrint slot 3, adjust delay settings and store the results as Preset C. Load four new TonePrints into the four Tone- Prints slots of the delay type selector. You now have access to seven TonePrints those in the four TonePrint slots and those stored as a part of presets A, B and C. Tap footswitch To set the desired delay time, you can tap the Tap footswitch rhythmically. This is an alternative to using the Delay Time knob. Simply tap the Tap footswitch a few times in the current song tempo. To readjust the tempo when it is a bit off (of course, the drummer is to blame!), just tap the Tap footswitch again in the correct tempo. Please note that the tempo is defined by tapping quarter notes. However, if you have set the Subdivision Selector switch to the mid or bottom position, what you will actually hear are delay repeats with dotted eights and/or quarter notes timing. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 22

23 Inputs, outputs and controls Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo delay types Use the Delay Type Selector to choose the type of delay you want to work with. The Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo offers a wide range of vintage delays. Binson Echorec 1* Binson Echorec 2* Electro-Harmonix Deluxe MemoryMan Chorus* Electro-Harmonix Deluxe MemoryMan Vibrato* Tel Ray Organ Tone* TC Electronic 2290 Modulated Reverse Modulated Boss DM-2* Watkins Copykat* Maestro Echoplex 2* Electro-Harmonix Echo Flanger* Roland Space Echo* * All product names are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with TC Electronic. These product names and descriptions are provided for the sole purpose of identifying the products that were studied during product development. TonePrint slots 1 to 4 The slots 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Delay Type Selector are placeholders for TonePrints. You can load one TonePrint into each of these slots, giving you access to four additional TonePrints. Using and editing TonePrints is explained in the TonePrint section. The Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo comes equipped with the following default TonePrints: Delay TonePrint by Steve Morse Basic Delay TonePrint by Bumblefoot Basic Delay TonePrint by Doug Aldrich Synth Delay by James Munky Shaffer When you choose a delay type, the chosen delay type will pick up the current positions of the delay control knobs (for example Delay Time). However, if you choose a preset and turn one of the delay control knobs, nothing will change except for that one, specific parameter. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 23

24 Using the Looper Using the Looper Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 24

25 Using the Looper The Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo is actually two products in one: a delay pedal and a looper that allows you to build audio loops by stacking several recordings of what you are playing. To operate the looper module, set the Looper/ Delay switch to the Looper position. Using the delay in Looper mode You can still use the delay when working with the looper module. This means that you can record loops with delay effects. Please note the following differences between Delay mode and Looper mode: When the Looper/Delay switch is set to Delay, you are usually working with one of the three delay presets. In other words: Either preset A, B or C is active, and the LED of the respective footswitch is lit. When the Looper/Delay switch is set to Delay and no delay preset is active, the pedal is in bypass mode. No effect signal is coming out of the pedal, only the unprocessed signal is being passed through. When the Looper/Delay switch is set to Looper, you do not have access to presets. Instead, the current settings of the delay controls (Delay Type, Delay Time, Feedback, Delay Level) apply. This means that what you see is what you hear and what you hear is being recorded as part of a loop. Accordingly, if you do not want to record any delay effects as part of your loops, simply turn the Delay Level knob down to minimum position. Recording a loop Set the Looper Delay switch to Looper. To start recording a loop, tap the Rec footswitch. To stop recording, tap the Rec footswitch again. You can start and stop recording while the loop is being played back. Changing delay settings while recording loops As you can change delay settings during loop recording, you can get really creative when stacking your recordings. For example, you could start with a dry bass line (Delay Level set to minimum), then add some chords with a subtle Tape delay and top it all off with a solo drenched in a luscious 2290 w/ mod delay. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 25

26 Using the Looper Playing a loop continuously To start playback of a previously recorded loop from the start, press the Play/Pause footswitch. Playback will continue until you stop it. Stopping loop playback immediately To stop playback immediately, press the Play/ Pause footswitch again. Playing a loop once To play back a previously recorded loop just once, press the Once footswitch. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 26

27 Using the Looper Stopping loop playback at the end of the loop To stop the playback of the loop at the end of the loop cycle, press the Playback Once footswitch. The Playback Once footswitch will blink until the end of the loop cycle is reached. At this point, playback is stopped. This is very helpful if you want to end a performance gracefully (i.e. right at the end of a loop cycle) without having to worry about hitting the footswitch at just the right moment. Undoing a loop recording During loop recording, each new recording is added on top of the loop s previous version. However, if you make a mistake during a recording cycle, you can undo it by pressing the Undo footswitch. If you change your mind, you can press the Undo footswitch again to bring back the previously deleted recording cycle. The undo/redo feature is not only useful for fixing mistakes it can also be used as a creative tool on stage. Here is a simple example: Record a bass line (loop cycle 1) Record some chords (loop cycle 2) Record a melody (loop cycle 3) Tap the Undo footswitch to remove the melody. Sing or improvise. Tap the Undo footswitch again to bring back the previously recorded melody. Erasing a loop completely To erase your loop recording completely (instead of just undoing the last recording cycle), press and hold the Undo footswitch. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 27

28 Using the Looper Loops cannot be stored Please note that while you can store the delay module s settings as presets, you cannot store loops. When you switch off the pedal, the current loop is erased. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 28

29 Maintenance Maintenance Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 29

30 Maintenance Updating the firmware TC may provide updates for the built-in software of your pedal, the firmware. Updating your TC pedal s firmware requires a computer running Microsoft Windows or OS X with a standard USB interface the specified DC power supply for your pedal. Preparing the firmware update Download the newest firmware from the Support page for your TC pedal. There are updaters for Microsoft Windows (these are ZIP archives containing the firmware installer) and for OS X (these are disk image files containing the firmware installer). Unplug all cables (including the power supply) from your TC pedal. Connect the pedal to your computer using a USB cable. Press and hold the leftmost footswitch on your TC pedal. Insert the DC power supply plug. The leftmost LED on your pedal should turn green. This indicates that the pedal is ready to receive the software update. Release the footswitch. Your TC pedal will now be recognized as an updatable device. Applying the firmware update Quit all MIDI-related applications (e.g. your DAW) on your computer and launch the firmware updater you have downloaded in step 1. In the firmware updater app, select your TC pedal from the drop-down list under the STEP 1 heading. When the Update button under the STEP 2 heading turns green, click it. The updated firmware will now be transferred to your TC pedal. Wait for the progress bar to reach 100%. When the update procedure is complete, the pedal will automatically restart. Switching the pedal from true bypass to buffered bypass mode True Bypass and Buffered Bypass explained True Bypass mode is a hard-wire bypass that gives absolutely no coloration of tone when the pedal is bypassed. This is the default mode for your effect pedal. Using True Bypass on all pedals is a perfect choice in setups with a few pedals and relatively short cables before and after the pedals. If you use a long cable between your guitar and the first pedal or if you use many pedals on your board or if you use a long cable from your board to the amp, then the best solution will most likely be to set the first and the last pedal in the signal chain to Buffered Bypass mode. Can you hear the difference between a pedal in True Bypass or Buffered Bypass mode? Maybe, maybe not many factors apply: active/ passive pick-ups, single coil/humbucker, cable quality, amp impedance and more. We cannot give a single ultimate answer. Use your ears and find the best solution for your setup! Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 30

31 Maintenance To set the bypass mode, proceed as follows: Disconnect the pedal and turn it on its back. Unscrew the back plate of the pedal and look for the two small dip-switches in the upper left corner. The upper DIP switch (the one closer to the power in jack), switches between True Bypass mode (default) and Buffered Bypass mode. Set the DIP switch to the desired position. Remount the back-plate. True bypass Buffered bypass Kill-dry off Kill-dry on Kill-dry on/off When you activate Kill-dry, the direct signal is removed from the pedal s output. Use this mode when you place your TC Electronic effect pedal in a parallel effects loop. To set Kill-dry mode, proceed as follows: Disconnect the pedal and turn it on its back. Unscrew the back plate of the pedal and look for the two small dip-switches in the upper left corner. The lower DIP switch (the one further away from the power in jack), switches between Killdry on and Kill-dry off mode. You can only remove the dry signal from the signal path if you have selected Buffered Bypass mode using the upper DIP switch see Switching the pedal from true bypass to buffered bypass mode. Kill-dry is not available in True Bypass mode. Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 31

32 Frequently asked questions Frequently asked questions Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 32

33 Frequently asked questions Frequently asked questions about TonePrint pedals Are TonePrint pedals analog or digital? The dry signal of your guitar passes straight through this effect pedal and is in no way digitized. The wet signal is just added. Do the TonePrint pedals have balanced or unbalanced inputs/outputs? TonePrint pedals have unbalanced inputs and outputs. Use cables with TS jacks (i.e., standard instrument cables). Is it possible to run this TonePrint pedal in the effects loop of a tube amp? Yes. All TonePrint pedals have a very wide gain range and are designed to run at both instrument and line level. There are a few amps which are capable of running much hotter than regular +4 dbu line-level signals because of the way their effect loops are designed. With these amps, it might be possible to get the input to clip. But for 99 % of all amps, the TonePrint pedals will work just fine. For additional information about your TC Electronic TonePrint effect pedal, please go to TC Electronic Support: tcelectronic.com/support/ Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 33

34 Links Links Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 34

35 Links TonePrint resources Support resources TC Electronic on TonePrint: tcelectronic.com/toneprint/ TonePrint products: tcelectronic.com/toneprint/toneprint-products/ TonePrint app: tcelectronic.com/toneprint-app/ TonePrint Editor: tcelectronic.com/toneprint-editor/ TonePrint Editor manual: tcelectronic.com/toneprint-editor/support/ TC Electronic service and warranty: tcelectronic.com/support/service-warranty/ TC Electronic Support: tcelectronic.com/support/ TC Electronic product software: tcelectronic.com/support/software/ TC Electronic all product manuals: tcelectronic.com/support/manuals/ TC Electronic user forum: forum.tcelectronic.com/ the web: tcelectronic.com/ Facebook: facebook.com/tcelectronic Google Plus: plus.google.com/+tcelectronic/ Twitter: twitter.com/tcelectronic YouTube: youtube.com/user/tcelectronic Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 35

36 Technical specifications Technical specifications Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 36

37 Technical specifications Please note that due to continuous development, the following specifications are subject to change without further notice. Bypass mode Signal circuitry Dimensions (width x depth x height) Input connector Input impedance Output connector Output impedance Expression pedal connector Power input MIDI IN + MIDI THRU USB port True Bypass (Buffered Bypass optional) Analog dry-through 235 x 145 x 57 mm 2 Standard ¼ jacks mono/ts with automatic mono/stereo sensing 1 MΩ 2 Standard ¼ jacks mono/ts with automatic mono/stereo sensing 100 Ω Standard ¼ jack Standard 9 V DC, centre negative >300 ma (power supply included) Standard 5 Pin DIN connectors Mini USB connector for uploading and editing custom TonePrints and for software updates Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 37

38 Technical specifications Alter Ego X4 Delay Manual ( ) 38